Psalms (Quality: Good)

[0:00] The words that I hope we may be helped to speak from this evening find in the 119th Psalm, verse 175.

[0:17] The 175th verse of the 119th Psalm. Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee, and let thy judgments help me.

[0:40] Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee, and let thy judgments help me.

[0:53] If you have, and I have, the unspeakable mercy for this to be so in our case, we find a welcome, we find an echo in our hearts to such a word as this.

[1:13] Especially the first word in the verse. Let. What a sweet word that is.

[1:25] And now I can tell you why I read the verses in this psalm that I did read, because in going through the psalm, and analyzing it, and wondering really, as it is such a lengthy psalm, what particular verses to read, I felt led, and I hope it was, the leading of the Spirit, to read particularly those verses in this psalm that begin with this little word, let.

[1:59] Let. And you see, this word let is twofold. And it is a most uniting word.

[2:12] Because it is a word that unites the sinner to God. Because it unites God to the sinner.

[2:22] Let. What did God say in the beginning? Let there be light. And there was light.

[2:36] And if you have known what it is, my friend, to be the subject of almighty grace, what God said in nature, and that which is still preserved to us every day of our lives, as being said to us in grace, as the apostle very beautifully says, God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

[3:18] Now, can you go back in your experience this evening, my friends, to such a time as this, when you believe, the light shone in your heart.

[3:34] And it was because God himself said, let. And you, in answer to that let, in falling under that let, were brought to say this, Oh, send out thy light and thy truth.

[3:55] Let them lead me unto thy holy hill and to thy tabernacles. What a choice word then, this little word, let is.

[4:07] And may we realize something of it as we go through this particular verse and into those verses that we have already read from this psalm.

[4:21] It would take us a long, long time to go right through the psalm. It will take quite a time to go into those verses, but I feel it is very blessed to realize that there's no commentary on the word of God like the word of God itself.

[4:42] We would thank God there are such things as commentaries and we've always been thankful to the Lord for a crudence concordance because sometimes it is a great help to us.

[4:55] And I once heard a minister when I heard eminent ministers say he looked upon Cuda's concordance as a lazy man's Bible. But being a busy man myself I felt I in a sense I didn't fall out with the dear man because I know what he meant.

[5:14] But my friends it can be a busy man's Bible too. Because some of us have had to labor with their hands and sometimes hurry off to the service perhaps and have been glad when a word has come to us and we haven't known just where it is in fact sometimes tempted by the devil to say as he said to us it isn't in the word of God at all.

[5:41] And you've been glad to turn into crudence concordance and found it to be well it's like everything else isn't it friends. The abuse of things is wrong and the use of things is right.

[5:53] And if we use these things as not abusing them the word of God itself is very blessed and I always admire what John Knox said the word of God is plain in itself but if in any one place there is obscurity the Holy Ghost who does nothing contrary to himself explains himself more clearly in other places.

[6:22] And so now we look at these words that we have read by way of text I believe we were given them this morning it was my earnest fervent prayer and desire that if the Lord should spare me and preserve me to come here this evening this should be the word prayer and meditation let my soul live.

[6:47] Can you echo it? Does it find a place in your heart my friend? Let my soul live just as truly as I have natural life so I want spiritual life.

[7:03] And the Lord Jesus Christ himself has very blessedly pronounced blessings upon living souls.

[7:13] you will see the evidence of life in those Beatitudes as we call them as spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ recorded in the fifth chapter the gospel according to Matthew blessed are the poor in spirit and if you are spiritually alive you are bound to be poor in spirit.

[7:33] but the blessing rests upon the poor and the Lord Jesus himself said and what a mercy it is the poor have the gospel preached unto them and blessed is he whosoever is not offended in me let my soul live.

[7:58] Well in that forty-first verse that we begun to read we have it there and how is this life communicated just in the way that it set before us in that forty-first verse let thy mercies come also unto me O Lord even thy salvation according to thy word and how beautiful are those remarks that the salvation makes concerning the word of God whether he mentions them as testimonies or whether commandments or statutes or whatever word he uses thy righteous judgments and so on and how beautiful is that word in the ninth verse wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his wife and then he gives the answer by taking heed thereto according to thy word we shouldn't hear the dreadful things we do today friends if there were more such men about such young men about that took heed according to

[9:16] God's word that's the trouble with us in the nation that's the trouble with us in the church that's the trouble with us in our family life and in all those things that have gone wrong because we've gone away from God and his word and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this but what a mercy it is friends that we find a few a few that still desire to take heed thereto according to God's word and if you can say this evening thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee what a precious gift what a precious treasure what a blessing thy word and then you can say sometimes can you not thy words were found and

[10:17] I did eat them and thy word was going to be the joy and rejoicing of my heart thy word I once heard of a little boy they burned his Bible but you know he had enough of God's word in his heart he said you can't burn what's in my heart they they they may burn all the books my friend but if the word of God is in your heart they can't burn that and why can't they burn it because God has burnt it in what God burns in will never be burnt out well let thy mercies then come also unto me O Lord even thy salvation according unto thy word and then we go on to the next portion that we read and we see there this little word let and how beautiful it is what a commentary on the words of our text let

[11:26] I pray thee thy merciful kindness be for my comfort according to thy word unto thy servant and in this verse I feel friends we have just that which we stand so much in need of and that is two things we need in connection with God's word we need revelation and we need application but you know in natural things if there is something to be received it is only right that we should apply for it and I do believe the way in which the Lord intends his people to receive the blessing is to ask as he himself so plainly has said ask and you shall receive seek and you shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you for every one that asketh receiveth he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall pray thee thy merciful kindness be for my comfort and who are the people that stand in need of comfort the comfort less to be sure and if you've ever known what it is and if the

[12:50] Lord has dealt with you my friend you've known what it is to be comfort less often be comfort less you may have spent days maybe months maybe years in comfort less and you felt and feared you never come out of that comfort less state but the Lord is faithful to his word oh yes what does he say to his comfort less people I will not leave you comfort less I will come to you I will not leave you orphans I went to visit the children of my late friend Mr.

[13:33] Arthur Hatton when he died and I felt specially led to speak to those sorrowing children because they were in my Sunday school when they were younger and I have a special regard toward them and I pray for them I want to pray till I see the mark of grace in their hearts but I said you know I have got a message for you the Lord Jesus Christ says I will not leave you orphans they are orphans naturally both mother and father do but you see my friend it's like the salmists and how many times some of us have been glad of that word of the salmists haven't we when my father and my mother forsake me the Lord will take me up if the Lord takes you up friend you'll be taken up forever and you'll be taken up presently from earth to heaven you will indeed yes let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid my peace

[14:44] I give unto you not as the world giveth give unto you let not your heart be troubled oh what a wonderful saviour he is speaking words of comfort to those that are comfortless let I pray thee thy merciful kindness be for my comfort according to thy word unto thy servant you see in another place he says remember the word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to house have there not been those times and their experience when other powerful temptations of the adversary he has come in like a flood and we feared lest we should be overwhelmed so we should have done but you see the Lord appears he fulfills that blessed word when the enemy shall come in like a flood the spirit of the

[15:44] Lord should lift up a standard against him so that we are able to say rejoice not against me oh mine enemy when I fall I shall arise again when I sit in darkness the Lord shall be a light unto me to he he he have to say remember the word unto thy servant of which has caused me to hope I had a very sweet instance of that at one time it was bitter at first but it was sweet afterwards and what a wonderful thing that is the bitter often comes before the sweet and makes the sweet the sweeter I'd been preaching at Tunbridge that Lord's Day and as I got into the bus it was just as though Satan came in that bus with me with a vile temptation you won't get out of sight, do not?

[16:40] and you know what those temptations are if you're the subject of them no use for me speaking about it if you're not but if you are, you know yes, oh yes we're not ignorant of his devices but we're thankful that the Apostle Paul not only said we're not ignorant of his devices but he also said this the God of peace shall bruise Satan on your feet shortly and oftentimes when the enemy comes in like a flood the Spirit of the Lord lifts up a standard against him and I was reminded I believe by the Spirit of God by a word that the Lord gave to me when quite a young man not realizing of course at that time how much I should travel in his service and it was this the Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth and even forevermore I said Lord remember the word unto thy servant above which thou hast caused me to help

[17:46] I arrived home safely and I have done this many times since but you know Satan is a powerful foe and he knows how to attack us sometimes in our weak spots and as he comes in so we need the Lord to deal with it because we're no match for him are we?

[18:12] no match for the devil none of us no but what a mercy the Lord Jesus Christ is we are not an high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of their infirmity was at all points tempted like as we are yet without sin let us therefore come boldly under the throne of grace we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need and what prayer should we bring?

[18:41] could we bring a better one than their tax this evening? let my soul live and it shall praise thee ah what a wonderful thing my friends is this life of the soul because it's the life of faith the just shall live by faith and they shall live to prove that death has lost its sting well we have one or two other verses to look at that we have read this evening with this little word let in and we want to just consider them they're all in connection with the words of their text in that other section we read let I pray thee thy merciful kindness be for my comfort according to thy word of thy soul let thy tender mercies come unto me that I may live for thy law is my delight what is our attitude my friends concerning God's law is it our delight can you say wholeheartedly this evening as you come before God in this sanctuary oh that the Lord would guide my ways to keep his statutes still oh that my God would grant me grace to know and do his will

[20:26] I believe that's the language of those that are the right side of the words of their text and the context let thy tender mercies come unto me that I may live for thy law is my delight and then a prayer against our enemies or against ourselves let the proud be ashamed by nature we're all proud if you are not proud my friends I am I don't want to walk in pride I do want the Lord to give me humanity but how often we find pride working and we have to admit what the poet said concerning against it speak it prompts the speech against it preach it prompts the speech be silent still it is there

[21:26] I should never forget once hearing dear Mr Stanley Dahls Dorkin and he gave a wonderful description of pride and you know he's a very gifted man and he can just lay it out there just as it really is and it was a description of pride too but you know I could see humility in that dear man and why where did I see it he said when he said all he had about pride he said who knows how much pride there's been in all that I've said you see friends we need to be on our guard lest we be carried away even with the gifts the heart uplifts with God's own gifts and makes evil grace a snare one said and if we know something of that help put us on our guard he'll make let us say Lord let not these things let not iniquity abound now let the proud be ashamed for they dealt perversely with thee without a cause but I will meditate in thy precepts and then let those that fear thee turn unto me and those that have known thy testimonies let my heart be sound in thy statutes that I be not ashamed it's a great blessing you know to find someone that's sound in these days someone that's really sound and how can we be sound as we're found in the right place concerning

[23:17] God's statutes that I be not ashamed and then further we have this little word left and we thank God for it as it is set before us in that latter part of the sound that we have been led to by way of text and meditative part and the first verse of that section surely suits us well let my cry now there my friends you've got the beginning of life let my soul live and how did we begin our natural lives by crying you know it is an observation worth making that if a babe doesn't cry the nurse will soon make it cry because a cry is a sign of life oh yes it is a great blessing to hear even naturally those of us that are parents have been glad to hear their children cry if a little child falls down and hurts his or herself anywhere you listen for the cry and you say directly well now it's alright there's a cry and when they're hungry and thirsty and uncomfortable there's a cry and as in nature so in grace do you cry sometimes because you feel spiritually hungry well there's a blessing upon that character blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness that they should be filled and what should they be filled with righteousness and not their own righteousness because they are brought to denounce that they are brought to know that all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags we cannot stand in our own fig leaf righteousness can we friends no we want that imputed and parted righteousness of Christ to be upon us and a sinner clothed in that rich vest and garments dyed in blood is rendered fit with

[25:55] Christ to sit and be the guest of God so let my cry come near before thee give me understanding according to thy word you see this is a wonderful word because it describes the first evidences of grace there's the cry and then there's the understanding and what a beautiful word the psalmist has concerning this in the last verse of the 107th psalm where throughout that psalm he gives us a wonderful description of the life of God in the soul and then in the conclusion he says whoso is wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord and what a mercy it is to get a little understanding and in answer to your prayer my friend the law will grant it let my cry come near before thee giving understanding according to thy word and then let my supplication come before thee now this is not vain repetition we not only cry not only pray but we are brought to supplicate that is so to speak a step further is it not have you known what it is my friend to be the recipient of that beautiful word

[27:29] I will pour upon the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication oh it's a beautiful word it's a beautiful experience and the Lord grant us more of it more of that supplication we need it we need it for ourselves we need it for our families we need it for our churches we need it for the nation supplication thy spirit of supplication give and we shall pray indeed let my supplication come before thee deliver me according to thy word and that is surely what we stand in need of from time to time deliver us let my soul live and it shall praise thee and if the Lord grants you and I this spiritual life how we shall praise him and we have an instance of it well many instances of it but one has just come to my mind the Lord servant

[28:42] Hezekiah He walked this way didn't He the Lord sent His servant Isaiah to Him with a message of death and it was just this set thine house in order there's a die and not live what could Ezitachiah do nothing better than he did what was that turned his face to the wall what was his kingdom to him what was his people to him what was his palace to him what was anything he possessed to him he's faced with death he's under the sentence of death and he wept sore and did he weep in vain no we have every reason to believe that Ezitachiah and I feel that the peak of his experience the peak of his trial the peak of his affliction was when he was brought to that point and some of us have known something about it we've known something of it since we realised

[29:45] I can tell you it would take a long time to tell you some of it but anyway the Lord knows all about it and I said our friend in the vestu I wouldn't have anything altered I wouldn't be without the trial for anything because trials make the promise sweet trials bring give new life to prayer trials bring us to his feet lay us low and keep us there and did I make no trials here no chastisement by the way might I not with reason fear I should be cast away my friend bless God if you've been tried because he says I will bring the third heart through the fire not round it through the fire Daniel couldn't go round the dead of lions could he those three men couldn't go round the furnace could they they had to go into it and through it and that's where their bands were burnt off that's where

[30:49] Daniel lost his burden that's where Daniel was brought to say my God has sent his angel and has shut the lions mouths they have not hurt me inasmuch as innocence he was found in me and in thy sight oh king have I done thou for when they listened to the language of Hezekiah has he been brought through the fire and the same servant of God that was sent to him with the message of death was sent back with the message of life go and tell Hezekiah I have heard thy prayer I have seen thy tears I will deliver thee and this city oh what a blessedness there is in affliction when the Lord sanctifies it and brings good out of it and brings us to bless and praise him because of it and Hezekiah could say and he could join in with this let my soul live and it shall praise thee the living the living he shall praise thee as I do this day the father unto the children shall make known thy truth the

[32:03] Lord was ready to save me haven't you proved it to be so friend when most we've needed his helping hand this friend is always near as heaven and earth at his command awaits to answer prayer and surely he will answer the prayer that he himself indites because prayer indicted by the Lord the Lord will surely hear let my soul live and it shall praise thee oh what a wonderful thing it is to enter a little into those sweet words of the psalmist in the 84th psalm concerning these living souls they will be still praising thee sealer and what a great blessing we can come together in God's house sometimes to sing his praise not just merely to sing for the sake of singing but to know a little what the apostle meant when he said

[33:12] I will sing in the spirit and with understanding also I will pray in the spirit and in the understanding also let my soul live and it shall praise thee the two things are joined together my friends and it is the living soul that will praise his or her God oh yes and joined with the psalmist in the 34th psalm this poor man cried and the Lord heard him and saved him and made of all his troubles the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him and delivereth them and this is the great desire of the heart of those that join with the soundest in their text let my soul live and it shall praise thee but what else does he say and let thy judgments help thee those very things which

[34:14] Satan would be ready to suggest to you would be a hindrance to you thy judgments let thy judgments help me and you know in another psalm the psalmist does very blessedly come to his God and he asks for this he says judge me oh Lord judge me he does want to realize that God is his judge and because he judges righteous judgment oh yes and as you and I are brought into the hand of our God how we know his judgments are right and we are brought to fall down at his feet and to say not my will but thy will be done let thy judgments help me thy judgments this is very beautifully set before us also in this 119th psalm how often the psalmist refers to thy judgments and he refers to his judgments as righteous judgments and I believe if ever there was a man that knew that God's judgments were right it was his servant

[35:53] Abraham when he stood before him pleading on behalf of guilty Sodom and Gomorrah and he felt himself to be a poor sinner did he not behold I have taken upon thee to speak unto the Lord who am the dust and ashes but what does Abraham say shall not the judge of all the earth do right what a great blessing it is my friends to be brought to God and feel that he is a righteous judge how beautifully one versed and the feeling of their heart before God in that hymn we sometimes sing when thou my righteous judge shall come to take thy ransomed people home shall I among them stand for such a worthless worm as I who sometimes am afraid to die be found at thy right hand yes you come to him my friend who is indeed the righteous judge and how beautifully does the

[37:11] Lord Jesus Christ himself speak of his father when he says in that wonderful part of the word of God which we need to take note of in these ill and evil days in which e'er not is cast he says this men are always to pray and not to fight and then he said did he not there was in a certain place a judge and a widow and the widow came to the judge and she said avenge me of mine adversary and he would not for a while now and presently this unrighteous judge says I will arise an avenger blessed by her continual coming she weary me now the Lord

[38:11] Jesus says to us it's a strong argument and something we would desire to take notice of shall not God avenge his own elect hear what the unjust judge said and shall not God avenge his own elect which try unto him day and night I tell you he will rise and avenge them speedily let thy judgments help me how this was worked out in the case of many of the Lord's people whose experience is left on record for our comfort and consolation oh yes we see those characters left on record for our encouragement those who were brought to know something of the righteous judgments of God and those judgments have indeed helped

[39:14] I will praise thee without brightness of heart when I should have learned thy righteous judgments and we do not learn these truths as schoolboys do their task such knowledge is not proof against delusions blast an empty knowledge broaks with air and dies when dreadful storms appear let thy judgments help me how then we would come to God this evening and whatever judgments there may be in the land or in the earth or in the church or maybe in their own circumstances let thy judgments help me may there be a means that thou should use Lord may there be sanctified to me to loosen my hold on time things and bring me to that spot and place to say that me thou sovereign

[40:17] Lord of all at thy footstool humbly fall and while I feel afflictions rod be still and know that thou art God and not only know that he's God but know that he's ours and know that he's ours and how are we brought to know that he's our God because he is the one that delivers us the only one that can deliver us he has delivered he does deliver and we trust says the apostle he will yet deliver us and so whatever trial you may be in now whatever trouble you may yet come into let thy judgments help me says the soundness in another verse I have hoped in thy judgments I have hoped in thy judgments that's a wonderful thing because you see

[41:18] God's judgments are from love as many as I love I rebuke and chasten and his chastening therefore prize the privilege of a saint their hearts are hard who that despise theirs to weep that faint we know sometimes under his chastening hand we would have given anything to know it was his chastening hand because Satan was a mirrored hand to say ah it isn't springing from his love this time but we've lived to prove Satan's a liar haven't we many many times but how slow we are to learn and how often we need the Lord to come again and to put us again under his chastening hand and cause us to know that he is indeed our father thou says the prophet art our father we are the clay thou are potter you all are the work of thy hand and I feel the soundness knew that the hymn writer knew something of this thy judgment's helping when he penned those beautiful lines sweet in the confidence of faith to trust his firm decrees sweet to thy passive in his hand and no no will but hands the lord could bring you there and he can keep you there blessings on his name yes and when he brings us there oh how sweet it is to live and it would be sweet to die and the poet very beautifully ends that hymn doesn't he if such the sweetness of the streams what must the fountain be where saints and angels draw their bliss immediately from thee

[43:34] I remember years ago it was visiting one of my afflicted young people too she was a young woman and I went along quite unexpected one morning and I knew she was in much affliction and often very much distressed very much trying but I had a surprise that morning I said how are you this morning this is how she answered me if such the sweetness of the streams what must the fountain be where saints and angels draw their bliss immediately from me that was music to me I thought she's got the other side for a little while and the deeper their sorrows the note of their sin do you know something of it friends I believe you do yes and here's a word to suit you this evening and go on your way with it let my soul live and it shall praise thee and let thy judgments help me you under the temptations of the adversary and the weakness of your poor mind feared that those things would hinder you but they won't they won't they can't because what

[44:56] God does for his people helps them he is their helper and their guide when I came to grief last September two days after I became seventy years of age and you know it was it was a cloud no mistake but you know in the night I said to the Lord thou hast been my hand leave me not neither for say to me I could look back over the past I knew he had helped me before and he could help me again I went to Leicester to preach from that text full of trouble as ever I could be and I was like it for about three months I was just about in Joe's ditch but you see my friends by these things men live by the very things that the Lord brings upon us the very thing that we're afraid is going to bring us to a rank we make a fresh start we make a fresh start in that way and this is the answer to this prayer let my soul live and this is the prayer of a living soul a living person wants to live even naturally so they don't know out anything but living souls they cry out for life yes was it not so in the case of

[46:28] Christian as Bunyan sets itself beautifully before us when he was made alive to his condition and his position he flees from the city of destruction he puts his fingers in his ears and he cries life life eternal life let my soul live and it shall praise thee and not only will this praise be while we're still in these low lands of earth it's hardly begun yet friends because we often have to say do we not weak is the effort of my heart and cold my warmest thought but when I see thee as thou art I praise thee as I ought do you sometimes look forward to that time when you will really be able to praise him as you want to ah we realize our weakness now but presently my friends we shall see his face and never never sin but from the rivers of his grace and glory bring endless pressure in and this word will be fulfilled this prayer will be unto the full let my soul live and it shall praise thee and let thy judgments help me the

[47:53] Lord grant it so for his name sake Amen